Bangalore Community Radio Declaration

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Bangalore Community Radio Declaration

Written by The World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) - Asia Pacific

Tuesday, 23 February 2010 10:40

The World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) convened representatives of community radio broadcasters, production groups and other community media practitioners from the Asia Pacific to adopt the Bangalore Community Radio Declaration in February 2010. The Declaration recognises the threat that increasing concentration and corporatization of commercialised media poses to peoples right to be informed and asserts the role of community media in realizing social justice.

Bangalore Community Radio Declaration

The World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) – Asia Pacific

Bangalore, February 23, 2010

The right to know is essential to every person’s humanity.

So we believe, so we struggle, so we live, so we celebrate.

We, the champions and supporters of community broadcasting in the Asia-Pacific region, shall safeguard, uphold and promote Freedom of Opinion and Expression. This right goes hand-in-hand with the freedom to communicate and be informed. This is guaranteed by Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

We affirm that everyone has a right to life, with dignity. All people have the undeniable right to be informed about decisions affecting the quality of their lives such as right to health, right to education, right to work, the right to free expression, and the right to information.

In cognizance of these principles, we declare:

Our reaffirmation of AMARC’s principles on Democratic Regulation in Community Broadcasting (May 2008) and the Montreal Declaration (November 2008).
Our recognition of the increasing concentration and corporatization of commercial, private and state media.
Our recognition of the need for forging alliances and building networks at local, national, regional and international levels for solidarity, advocacy and sharing of information, experiences and technologies.
Our recognition that access to clean water and the right to food are universal human rights.
Our recognition of the diversity in our communities.
Our affirmation of the immediate need for oppressed and marginalized communities to take control over their own means of communication.
Our affirmation, in conjunction with the Indigenous Statement of the Bangalore Declaration, of the immediate need for Indigenous people’s right to vote, the right to self determination, rights to land, resources, livelihoods, cultures, and their right to live with dignity.
Our affirmation of our solidarity with those discriminated against on the basis of their sexual orientation including the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community and assert their right to live with dignity and without fear of persecution.
Our affirmation of gender equality and the rights of women to own and control their means of communication.
Our recognition of the special needs of migrant communities, internally displaced persons, guest workers and refugees and their right to live free from discrimination, harassment and violence.
Our recognition of the disproportionate and disastrous impact of Climate Change (natural and human created) especially on Indigenous Peoples, the poor, the marginalized, women, and children.
Our recognition of the need for community radio broadcasters to report issues in a manner that promotes non violent responses to conflict based on the values of respect, dignity and diversity and which seeks to break down barriers and stereotypes.
Our affirmation of our condemnation of all forms of violence and legislation that restrict citizen’s rights, spreads an atmosphere of fear and serve sectarian interests or extremist views.

Having recognized these challenges and affirmed our commitment to solidarity with those who are confronted by these challenges we reaffirm the Jakarta Declaration of AMARC Asia-Pacific, December 2005, and we continue our struggle to democratize the media.

It is against this backdrop that we commit ourselves and our community radios to:

Place people’s communications rights at the centre of development and support initiatives for access to digital and other technological opportunities that enable community broadcasting in an ever-widening scale;
Create spaces on the airwaves for diverse and marginalized voices, irrespective of caste, creed, race, colour, gender, sexuality, faith, and differently-abled or other differences;
Challenge the hegemony of commercial, private and state media by promoting community-owned and operated media as an essential tool to the preservation of the diversity of voices, cultures, languages and ecosystems;
Lobby governments to institute adequate mechanisms promoting media freedom, protection of community media, and protection of journalists;
Work towards ensuring food security and food sovereignty with those whose lives and livelihoods are threatened by denial of these basic human rights;
Develop collaborations with educators in order to develop participatory tools that will provide formal and non-formal educational opportunities, especially for non-literate communities;
Include the voices of all migrant, internally displaced peoples and refugee communities in our community radios and support their establishment, ownership and management of their own community radios;
Provide localized information about disaster risk reduction;
Provide localized emergency news, disaster recovery, relief, rehabilitation, and sustainable alternatives as well as create a space for trauma healing and reaffirming faith in the face of adversity;
Build alliances with grassroots and human rights movements for strengthening communities and the community radio movement;
Endorse and implement Article 16 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples which reaffirms the right of Indigenous peoples to establish their own community radios in their own languages and have access to non-indigenous CRs without discrimination;
Promote and encourage gender equality in our communities with programs that are fully integrative and supportive of women;
Endorse and implement the AMARC gender policy drafted by AMARC-AP WIN members, and ratified by AMARC International Board and incorporate gender equality in all areas of community radio activity; and
Oppose violence against journalists, media practitioners, restrictive legislation, or sectarian interests, and work for an atmosphere of peace and progress.

We, the representatives of community radio broadcasters, production groups and other community media practitioners from Afghanistan, Australia, The People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Cambodia, Canada, Fiji, The Republic of India, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Kyrgyz Republic, Laos PDR, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Philippines, Senegal, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor Leste, United Kingdom and the United States of America agree to uphold this declaration and strive to implement the values and aspirations it states.

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